Writer Jonathan Hickman has revealed that Fantastic Four #579 is to mark a new direction for the series in line with the launch of Marvel's Heroic Age.

The scribe explained that Reed Richards will reassess his place in Marvel's scientific community and what the Fantastic Four's place is, going forward in the Marvel Universe, in the aftermath of event series Siege.

Hickman told Newsarama: "He responds with something called the Future Foundation. It's a new organization that he founds. The issue is kind of a 'getting the band together' issue where he forms this Foundation. It's like the first 30 minutes of Oceans Eleven or something like that. But it's a lot of fun.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

"The Future Foundation is an outreach of the Fantastic Four. It's kind of a side project of his that has to do with his kids, and his responsibility to them, ensuring that there's a better world for them to grow up in."

He added: "My plan for Fantastic Four started with #570 and it takes us through #600. So this is really a 31-issue story. And this issue is part of it. I don't waste beats, for the most part. Everything I throw out there, especially a whole issue worth of stuff, yeah, we'll revisit this in a major, major way. It's going to have pretty big implications."

Fantastic Four #579, by Hickman and artist Neil Edwards, is due in May.